In the 1950s, Bellevue was a small community which existed primarily to serve the needs of nearby farms. It was located mostly along the railroad tracks near the Harpeth River, and had only a few buildings such as a hardware store, post office, and a Masonic lodge hall. The suburbanization was made official when the United States Postal Service changed the designation of the office there from "Bellview, Tennessee" to a branch of the Nashville office in the late 1970s.[3]

Since the year 2000, Bellevue has grown in population and development in the already established areas along Old Hickory Boulevard and Hwy 70S, as well as in the more affluent developments off Tennessee State Highway 100.[3] There are three commercial retail hotspots in the Bellevue area which are located near the Highway 70/I-40 interchange, at the intersection of Highway 70 and Old Hickory Boulevard;[4] and near the intersection of Old Harding Pike and Highway 100.

Bellevue is a popular destination for nature lovers because of several attractions such as the massive Warner Parks that feature miles of both paved and unpaved trails for hikers and cyclists, as well as the beginning access point for the multi-state recreational highway known as the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Bellevue is the home of a failed regional shopping center, the Bellevue Center Mall. Purchased by Bellevue Development, LLC on December 10, 2007, mortgage financing was secured to redevelop the site into a retail lifestyle center. However, the main structure of the Bellevue Center Mall is now completely vacant except for one anchor store, Sears. Though plans to redevelop the mall were approved by local government, the old mall building still stands and there are currently no signs of future construction. Currently it is owned by Inland Western Real Estate Trust.[5]

On May 2, 2010, the Bellevue area was devastated by the largest recorded flood in history on the Harpeth River. Thousands of homes and condominiums were flooded and several people drowned. The River Plantation condominiums were especially hard hit.

Demographics[edit]

According to the census[4] of 2000, there were 37,062 people and 14,807 households in Bellevue. There were an average of 2.5 persons per household.

In 1990, 76% of people aged 25 or older had a high school education or better. The median income was $40,328.[4]

Bellevue Public Library[edit]

Bellevue's first library service was via bookmobile during World War II. In 1984, the Bellevue Community Center Complex was built, and on February 15 of that year, the Bellevue Public Library opened. Plans are underway to build a new library.[6]

Bellevue Park[edit]

The red caboose of Bellevue Park.

Bellevue Park is located on Colice Jeanne Road in Bellevue across from Bellevue Middle School and next to the Bellevue Branch Library. It is part of the Metro Nashville Parks System.[7] The park is called Red Caboose Park due to the red caboose that sits on site and the sign at the entrance which reads "Red Caboose Park." The park also has a log cabin built on the site. The park features an exercise path for walkers and joggers, as well as a playground built by community volunteers in 1996 as part of the Bellevue Bicentennial Celebration.[8]

Red Caboose Park is the site of the annual Bellevue Community Picnic, which attracts around 20,000 people each year.[9]

Schools[edit]

Gower Elementary School[edit]

Gower Elementary was built in 1989 and teaches grades preK-4 and is part of the "Hillwood Cluster". It is located off of I-40 at 650 Old Hickory Boulevard in Bellevue, Nashville, TN. The school's enrollment is currently [2014] approximately 650 students. Gower is "Home of the Gators". The school's colors are green and white. Gower has an outstanding music department along with highly dedicated teachers. Their exceptional educators are among the top in MNPS and are committed to providing the services needed to all attending students.[10]

Harpeth Valley Elementary School[edit]

Harpeth Valley Elementary School was founded in 1939 and teaches grades K-4. It is located on the outskirts of Bellevue along State Route 100. The current school was built in 1996 and has enrollment of more than 700 students.[11] Harpeth Valley Elementary School was the inspiration for the title of the hit country song "Harper Valley PTA".[3]

Bellevue Middle School[edit]

Bellevue Middle School is located in the heart of the town on Colice Jeane Road with the students coming primarily from Bellevue and the immediate surrounding areas. It was founded in 1970 and teaches grades 5 through 8. The school was renovated in 2002 and has an enrollment of 680 students.[12]

Hillwood High School[edit]

Located in nearby West Meade, Hillwood High School serves ninth through twelfth grade students living in Bellevue and surrounding areas.

Private Schools[edit]

Athletics[edit]

Bellevue is the home of The Bellevue Steelers of the Tennessee Youth Football Alliance, who have been a part of the Bellevue community since 1977.[13] Bellevue is also home of BSAA, Inc. at the Reese Smith Jr. Baseball & Softball Park, which includes Babe Ruth League and Cal Ripken Jr. League Baseball. Thousands of Bellevue's youth have played baseball here from tee ball through high school.[14] The BBA Youth Basketball program also makes its home in Bellevue. The Bellevue Basketball Association has offered a Youth Sports Basketball program to tens of thousands of Nashville's youth since the 1970s.[15] The Harpeth Youth Soccer Association (HYSA) was founded in 1989 in Bellevue. More than 2,000 youth participate in the soccer league each year.[16] The HYSA complex, located on Coley Davis Drive was decimated by the May 2010 Tennessee floods, but reopened in 2011.[17]